Friday, September 13, 2013

Over the last few summers, the lot situated at 400 Carroll Street at the edge of the Gowanus Canal has been used as an outdoor venue for concerts and other cultural events. Coined the "Gowanus Grove" by the event's organizers, it attracted huge crowds every Sunday.
On the venue's web site, the Grove was described as a "little slice of paradise in the middle of industrial Brooklyn" and as recently as last Sunday, hundreds of people were enjoying "its bucolic setting".

Well, no more. In the last few days, all trees have been felled and the land cleared.
The work is no doubt related to the environmental remediation that needs to be undertaken on the site before it can be built on. In addition, the toxins that accumulated over decades of industrial usage of the site need to be addresses as part of the EPA Superfund clean-up of the canal.
A truck from PAL, an environmental remediation contracting firm based in Long Island City, was parked on the lot this morning.

400 Carroll Street, along with several other parcels on the two blocks between Carroll Street and 2nd Street between Bond Street and the canal, were spot- rezoned from industrial to mixed-use a few years ago to clear the way for residential buildings.
After the first developer, Toll Brothers, Lightstone Group stepped in and intends to build 700 rental units on the two blocks. A rendering of the development can be seen below.

So no more trees, no more 'bucolic setting', as the "Grove" is swallowed up by yet more development.

Proposed Lightstone Development next to the Gowanus Canal (credit: Lightstone Group)

i understand the desire to build there, in lieu of the blight that is allowed to stand for most of the week, but i do think it's also completely fair to praise the organizers of the weekly MISTER SUNDAY event.

i've gone at least a dozen times over the last few years, i live here in the neighborhood, and i've always felt that the manner in which the event has been organized and presented to its guests has been exemplary. it's too bad that these days are over, here at the "gowanus grove."

the folks behind mister sunday were transparent and interested in providing a relaxed vibe, where everyone could be welcome. if one RSVP'd before the event, the entrance fee was reduced, allowing more people to afford to go. there was no door policy, no sense of exclusion. quite the opposite.

it was one of the few places in carroll gardens were one could truly encounter the wide diversity of brooklyn, which certainly means that it was not just hipsters.

not all of the guests were good enough to honor the terms that the organizers expressed, and some sundays were less appealing than others because of that, but on most sundays, dancing and hanging out here was a real treat - a way to wind down with friends before the work week starts up. it was certainly better than watching NFL.

i understand that there are few readers of this blog who will be sad to see the departure of mister sunday, while others will not be eager to welcome a new development, but i hope that in the void that is left behind, somebody else will seize the initiative to bring another gathering based on inclusion into our neighborhood.

Having lived for years on the 400 block of Carroll I remember when there was nothing going on on that spot. I really like(d) the grove events and would travel from the LES to go and to visit friends on the block. Can I hope the trees were taken down for insurance reasons ? Who really needs a stink water front condo anyway ?